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Tag: anti-Boko Haram

  • ICYMI: $1b anti-Boko Haram battle plan sparks row

    ICYMI: $1b anti-Boko Haram battle plan sparks row

    Govt: it’s to finish off insurgents

    Shettima defends plan 

    Wike demands special cash for Niger Delta

    SERAP kicks

    Nigeria plans to lend its neighbours a hand in the anti-Boko Haram war, it was learnt at the weekednd.

    The Federal Government requested for $1billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to  bolster the military’s capacity to assist neighbouring countries, Defence Minister Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali said.

    The conference of Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of Defence Staff of member-states of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) held in Chad recommended an inclusive plan to  clear out Boko Haram insurgents from the region.

    The Federal Government has got the approval of the National Economic Council (NEC) to spend $1billion from the ECA.

    Gen. Dan-Ali said  in Lagos that the approval of the money “is in order” because it was needed to “finish off the degraded Boko Haram”.

    Gen. Dan-Ali was in Lagos for the retirement/graduation of 403 soldiers who underwent skills acquisition training at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos.

    The retired soldiers are 281 from the Army, 17 from the Navy and 105 from the Air Force.

    The Minister said: “Boko Haram has been really degraded. I just returned from Chad from the Conference of Ministers of Defence of the Multinational Joint Task Force.

    “These are (the $1b) some of the initiatives we are looking forward to from the Federal Government so that this Boko Haram is finally degraded and finished off.”

    It was gathered that a greater chunk of the money would be spent on the acquisition of military equipment and capacity building for the Nigerian troops and militaries of neighbouring countries.

    The government was worried that Boko Haram had more firing power and expertise than the armed forces of some of our neighbouring countries.

    A source said: “One of the reasons this Boko Haram insurgency became difficult to contain is because the armed forces of our neighbours lack capacity. They neither have the equipment nor the expertise to prosecute the war. That is why the terrorists always run to their countries when they cannot withstand the heat from Nigeria.

    “Another problem is that they see the war as a Nigerian thing. But with the JTF, all the countries affected have come to realise the need to be ready. I can tell you that the $1b is to be used for state-of-the-art equipment and boost the capacity of the forces of these countries.”

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shetima also defended the approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) of $1billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to battle Boko Haram.

    The decision has been criticised in some circles, particularly because the government had declared Boko Haram degraded.

    Shettima said the decision was in line with international best practices.

    He argued that the best time to strengthen a country’s military is not when it is suffering defeat or weak but rather when it is in a position of strength either by winning a war or when there are no security challenges.

    Shettima, whose state is the epicentre of the Boko Haram crisis, spoke in Kaduna yesterday in his capacity as Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum. He attended the Kaduna (Northern) centenary celebration on Saturday.

    Shettima said: “First, I think it is really important for us not to play politics with national security because whatever ambition anyone might have for 2019, first, Nigeria has to be in continued existence before such ambition can make any sense. I was laughing when I read series of attacks on the Federal Government over that approval of one billion dollars. Some of these statements even said it was an irony for such an amount to be budgeted whereas the Federal Government has claimed to have decimated the Boko Haram. I think those saying this need to have a better understanding of what National Security entails. The fact that Boko Haram is incapacitated is even the more reason why we should strengthen our military because the best time to make your military strong is when you are in position of strength not when you are weak. Let me give you one example.  According to the 2017 Global Peace Index, whichý ranked 163 countries according to their levels of safety and peacefulness, Switzerland is ranked amongst the first ten countries that are the safest and most peaceful in the world. Switzerland is spending 4.8 billion dollars to strengthen the capacity of its military. Mind you, Switzerland has a population of only 8.3 million and they don’t have Boko Haram, they don’t have ethnic militias, they don’t have rural armed bandits, they don’t have cattle rustlers, they don’t have kidnappers, they don’t have militancy and ethno-religious conflicts. Switzerland is not even vulnerable to external aggression of terrorists. The crime rate in Switzerland is one of the lowest on earth yet they are spending 4.8 billion dollars to make their military stronger than it already is.”

    “As second example, still from the 2017 Global Peace Index, Denmark is the fifth most peacful and safest country in the world. Denmark has a population of only five million people but they are spending $3billion to strengthen their military. The entire country is less than any of  our most populated states, like Kano and Lagos. Denmark doesn’t have one per cent of our kind of security challenges yet they are spending huge to raise their military.

    ”Gathering information is expensive.  I know what it entails for information to be gathered before one single successful operation against a group of Boko Haram is carried out. ýI think those people saying all sorts of things should please not play politics with the security of this country.”

    Shettima added: “The NEC that approved that fund had Governors from different political parties. As responsible leaders, governors know what security entails because every governor deals with one or more security issues. Before you hear of one security incident, many might have been averted through proactive intelligence gathering and actions and these cost money. ýThe President Buhari we all know will not preside over a situation where monies meant for arms will be shared or misappropriated by anyone for whatever reason. President Buhari has proved to be more than sincere in all his efforts so far, in fighting Boko Haram. I am on the ground.”

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said a special cash should also be given to Niger Delta to battle insecurity and environmental degradation

    Wike said while he would not condemn the release of a $1billion to tackle Boko Haram, the environmental and security challenges  in the Niger Delta far outweighed the Boko Haram conflict.

    Speaking during the Annual General Meeting of Okpo Club of Nigeria (Association of Ikwerre Lawyers) at the weekend in Port Harcourt, he said:

    “Niger Delta environmental problems are as serious as the Boko Haram Insurgency. I am not saying that you should not fight Boko Haram.

    “If you can get funds from the National Pool to tackle  Boko Haram, then you should go to the pool to get funds to fight environmental problems in Ogoni and other Niger Delta communities.”

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “urgently explain to Nigerians why the government decided to withdraw $1 billion from the ECA to fight Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, if his government is to avoid the intense secrecy and lack of accountability and oversight of the spending on Boko Haram that characterised the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.”

    In a statement, SERAP Deputy Director Timothy Adewale, said: ”Nigerians should have some sense of what it is the government is doing in our name, especially against the background of the declaration by the authorities that the anti-insurgency war has ended and the Boko Haram terror group defeated, as well as the unresolved questions on how over $2bn was spent by former Jonathan’s administration to fight Boko Haram. The government also ought to tell Nigerians whether and how the legal requirements for approving the extra-budgetary allocations were met.”

  • Terrorism: I will keep my oath at all cost-Buhari vows

    Terrorism: I will keep my oath at all cost-Buhari vows

     President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday vowed to keep his promise of protecting Nigerians and securing its territory against the menace of Boko Haram terrorism and other violent extremists in the country.

    The President made this vow when he launched the revised National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) developed by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.  The President who was represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo decried the activities of Boko Haram militants describing it as “Mindless killing of children and innocent.”

    President Buhari said: “The government is determined to ensure that the safety of every single Nigerian is a priority this is why I have repeatedly ordered our law enforcement agents to ensure that perpetrators of violent acts are arrested and made to face the law. The activities of armed herdsmen and host farmers, kidnapper, criminal militants threaten our peace and security and the sanctity of our nation.

    “We will not allow anyone, under any guise, whether it is politics, culture or religion to violate life or property of another citizen. This is the oath to which I swore and I will uphold it at all cost.”

    The President said terrorism is not static and Nigeria’s response must therefore be dynamic and versatile. He described the review of the National Counter Terrorism strategy as fit for purpose and adequately responds to the current and imminent and future challenges.

     The first edition of the NACTEST was launched in 2014 at the peak of counter terrorism campaign in the Northeast. The revised edition has taken into detailed consideration the implementation of a citizen centred counter terrorism strategy. It has also corrected some of the deficiencies in the implementation putting more responsibility on the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    In a very sober mood, the President went down memory lane to describe how he joined the Nigerian Army and how the creed of brotherhood propelled the early officers into sacrificing for the security of Nigeria.

    “I joined the army early in life and I spent all my professional life in the armed forces of Nigeria, I and so many others were trained to accept, believe and prepared to die for the security and safety of the country and to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

    “And indeed many of my colleagues gave their lives defending this nation and its great people, we came from every nook and cranny of Nigeria, there were Muslims, Christians and atheists in our number. It doesn’t matter where you were from or how you worship, we were just Nigerian soldiers committed to ourselves and to our nation.  We were completely convinced by the word s of our old national anthem that though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand.”

    The President said the reckless campaign of Boko Haram insurgents in the last few years was meant to  terrorize and produce maximum fear which unfortunately was strengthened by the “disgraceful greed of some in government and in high office in the armed forces at the time.”

     In justifying the review of the NACTEST, the president said  even though the capacity of Boko Haram has been fatally depleted, their activities lingers through several channels by which they continue to recruit young and impressionable people.

    “This is why a robust and  dynamic counter terrorism strategy is crucial in the  fight against terror and must be constantly reviewed  to be relevant to  contemporary challenges.

    “Today we are gathered to launch the revised counter terrorism strategy, that it is a revised strategy underscores the fact that we recognize that terrorism is not static and  our response must be dynamic and versatile, this strategy is fit for purpose and adequately responds to the current and imminent  and future challenges.

     “There must be the understanding  that the war against terrorism is a most unconventional one, the enemy is essentially an insane nuisance, does not  obey any rule of warfare, kills the defend less  including prisoners, use children as human shield and considered the killing of anyone as victory.”

     He advocated a new strategy which is aimed at winning the “battle of the mind”. “As we think through our strategy, we must not only win the physical battle, we must win the battle of the mind,  even as the most impressionable among them will sign up to join Boko Haram and other extremist groups.

    “We must understand that terrorist is essentially a psychological warfare and  as such a psychological and sophisticated response is necessary. Through the leadership of our faith we must educate them and they must know neither Islam nor any other religion endorses the slaughter of any and the shout of God is great even when they do not know the meaning of these words.”

     On the plight of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the Northeast, the President  announced that a new Inter-Ministerial committee which will be headed by the Vice President  will review the situation in a bid to find a solution.

    While commending the ONSA , the President urged the MDAs to adhere to their respective roles as stipulated in the strategy.

    The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Mohammed Monguno (Rtd), said the review of the NACTEST was a directive from the President which mandated the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to begin immediate implementation of the strategy throughout the country.

    He said the ONSA is empowered by Section 2, sub-section 1 (a)-(d) of the Terrorism Prevention Act, to coordinate all security and law enforcement agencies in counter-terrorism and provide them with support to prevent and combat terrorism, ensure the effective formulation and implementation of a counter terrorism strategy, build capacity and do such other acts or things that are necessary for the effective functions of the relevant security and law enforcement agencies.

    In the revised edition of the NACTEST, there is an effective collaboration with other MDAs with the establishment of a Counter Terrorism desk which will oversee all counter terrorism activities in the agency.

    The new NACTEST is organized around five streams namely; Forestall, Secure, Identify, Prepare and Implement with key objectives and success indicators.  A new benchmark for the evaluation of the implementation of NACTEST has also been reviewed to include salient areas like the Nigeria Countering Violent Extremist program (Soft Approach to CT) and the Strategic Communication program.

     The revised NACTEST has also been interpreted into the three main Nigerian languages and a training of officials on its implementation of from the state and local government will commence immediately.

    According to the coordinator, Counter Terrorism Centre (CTC) in the ONSA, Commodore Yem Musa, said the NACTEST is to implement citizen-centered counter terrorism strategy. “The aim of NACTEST is to reduce the risk of the country and its interests abroad from terrorism and ensure that people can go about their lives unhindered.

    “With the increasing role of the family, communities, religious environment, in engendering social cohesion and offering positive alternatives, the need to include some MDAs and address some oversights in the first edition has become pertinent.

    “Consequent upon this, the NACTEST is revised according to Presidential directives and the bi-annual stipulation to address the observed deficiencies,” he said.

     Commodore Musa said the successful delivery of NACTEST depends on partnership among all tiers of Government; the public, private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

    “A lot also depends on efforts of well – meaning Nigerians, non-governmental organizations, members of communities and support from foreign governments and organizations,” Musa said.

    The ONSA has also developed National Terrorism Threat Levels which is  meant to guide government agencies on measures to be taken on receipt of information on a likely terrorist attack.

    The threat alert which is in five levels  are: Critical (Red) – Attack is imminent; Severe (Orange) – Attack is highly likely; Substantial (Yellow) – Attack is a strong possibility; Moderate (Blue) – Attack is possible but not likely; Low (Green) – Attack is unlikely.

     Also the authority to issue appropriate threat levels  will lie with the ONSA.  According to Musa, the NSA will issue appropriate threat levels based on the threat analysis and risk assessment by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Branch (JTAB) whose work is dependent on inputs from relevant intelligence gathering and security agencies.

  • US set for anti-Boko Haram operations in Nigeria

    US set for anti-Boko Haram operations in Nigeria

    The White House has been at pains to stress that personnel would not take part in combat operations and would be armed only for self-defense.

    Nigeria greeted that announcement as a “welcome development.”

    President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May vowing to end the violence that has killed scores and spooked much-needed international investors.

    But US efforts to give him military assistance have been hampered by concerns about human rights abuses carried out by the country’s military.

    And until now Washington has largely shied away from engaging its vast military assets to combat Boko Haram, with policymakers wary of fueling militant recruitment or fusing the group’s ties with Middle Eastern Islamists.

    The group’s leaders have allied themselves with the Islamic State group, but experts doubt the scale and scope of collaboration.

    The US moves come as Boko Haram steadily expands operations beyond its traditional base in the Northeast, conducting attacks in Cameroon and Chad that have killed dozens.

    An uptick in violence is expected in the coming weeks with the end of the rainy season and amid growing resistance to a nascent multi-national joint task force bringing together countries in the region to fight Boko Haram.

    On Thursday and Friday, suicide bombers from the terror sect slew dozens of people in attacks on Maiduguri ,Borno State. The insurgency has claimed at least 17,000 lives since 2009.

    Cameroon, Chad and Niger, which all have borders with Nigeria in the Lake Chad region, have formed a military alliance with Nigeria and the Republic of Benin to battle the extremists, who this year declared allegiance to the Islamic State.

    Nigeria’s neighbours have each been hit by bombers, often women or adolescent girls, who detonate their devices in crowded places such as open markets. Bans on concealing clothes, searches and close scrutiny have prevented some attacks, but others come without warning.

    National intelligence services are historically best known for monitoring the activities of the domestic opposition, rather than tackling threats from the likes of Boko Haram, whose violence has uprooted about 2.5 million people.

    Heads of state in the Lake Chad region have several times pleaded for international assistance to the multinational task force created this year to take the war to the enemy.

    France already provides some forms of intelligence. Paris has deployed a strong military presence on the ground, including Operation Barkhane, with its headquarters in the Chadian capital N’Djamena, set up to fight jihadists in the Sahel.

    Last year, Washington provided Nigeria with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance expertise in the hunt for more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from their school.

    Analysts have seen alleged military abuses such as arbitrary detention of Boko Haram suspects in both Nigeria and Cameroon as having hit their ability to gather on-the-ground intelligence from civilians.

    The US military is also active in Niger, where it uses drones to watch over the broad strip of Sahel territory on the southern side of the Sahara. The pilotless aircraft will now also be monitoring Boko Haram.

    The first 90 men out of 300 US soldiers arrived on Monday in Cameroon, where they will be stationed at the northern town of Garoua, which is already a base for the Cameroonian air force to fly sorties to bomb Boko Haram infiltrators.

  • How fares the anti-Boko Haram war?

    How fares the anti-Boko Haram war?

    Since he took office about two months ago, President Muhammadu Buhari has put the war against Boko Haram terrorist group on the front burner, as a priority for his administration. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI examines the administration’s moves to contain the insurgency and what can be done to add pep to the battle.

    IN spite of the resolve of President Muhammadu Buhari not to give the militant Islamic group, otherwise known as Boko Haram, any breathing space, the insurgents remain as daring as ever. Buhari had told the nation in an interview on Cable News Network (CNN) that he would deal effectively with the Boko Haram terrorists in two months when he gets into office.

    In his inaugural speech, he had announced the relocation of the military command and control centre from the capital Abuja, which is about 800km to Maiduguri, the main city at the heart of the insurgency, until the conflict is resolved. The new command was widely expected to add vigour to the counter-insurgency campaign. In a follow-up to a number of initiatives on the matter, President Buhari on July 13 appointed new Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser. This was another move that was expected to add pep to the battle against the insurgents.

    Boko Haram appears to have changed tactics and is creating havoc here and there. In the view of security experts, this suggests that there are no easy solutions to the Boko Haram problem and that the federal government must do something differently to achieve the desired result. Intelligence and security sources believe the insurgency may fester for some time due to factors beyond the control of President Buhari. The sect, despite the successes recorded by the military. The militant group is said to have grown beyond being a Nigerian organisation. According to experts, it now has franchise covering lower part of West Africa from Nigeria across Ghana, Gambia and Sierra Leone to other countries in the region. The sect is believed to be working in concert with the Islamic State.

    Buhari has acknowledged that the government might negotiate with the terrorists for the release of the over 200 girls kidnapped at a boarding school in Chibok, Borno State in April, last year. But, the idea of negotiating with the terrorist group is fraught with a lot of challenges

    A security and ancillary services consultant, Colonel Gabriel Ajayi (rtd), said from his experience of terrorist groups in other countries, Boko Haram insurgents would never negotiate from a position of weakness and would never surrender. He said: “There is no record in military history where generals have received instrument of surrender from insurgents or terrorists. What usually happens is that their capacity to go on with the operation could be radically reduced and eventually it fizzles out. Hardly will you find insurgents entering into dialogues, signing of agreements.”

    Ajayi added that the moves by the Buhari-led administration so far, to curb the insurgency is good. Nevertheless, he said there was no magic wand to counter insurgency. He said: “There is no textbook answer to tackling insurgency. It is an unconventional war that can only be tackled through unconventional means, such the application of native intelligence. The people of the area and the leaders of the North might hold the key to solving the problem.”

    Ajayi does not believe that the insurgents are gaining the upper hand. His words: “It is not as if the insurgents are gaining the upper hand; what happened before the general elections was postponed was that Boko Haram insurgents took the Nigerian military for granted and started employing conventional warfare tactics to fight a conventional army. They succeeded for a time, because the military was not equipped to face them militarily. But, in reality, they cannot use conventional methods to fight a conventional army and hope to win in the long run.

    “Boko Haram changed tactics when they started acquiring territories and having an army of occupation to defend such territories. This method compels them to tie down their forces in the occupied territories. In their usual modus operandi, terrorists don’t acquire territories; they only strike and disappear. As guerrilla fighters, they are always on the move. So, it was easy for the army to fight them when they were holding grounds. There is no way they can win a straight fight with the military.

    “So, it is not as if Boko Haram insurgents are gaining the upper hand; they have only changed their tactics. Realising the futility of their action, they have resorted to guerrilla warfare at the moment. It would not be easy for the military to tackle them because of the unconventional tactics they are using.”

    The security and ancillary services consultant listed five strategies the military can employ to start winning the war. He said: “But, these are classified information and it would not be appropriate for me to begin to reveal them on the pages of a newspaper. I would reveal only about one or two. One of the strategies, in fact the number five strategy, is to start reconstruction immediately, using military engineers. The Bible in the Book of Nehemiah said, while we held the spear in one hand, we started rebuilding. When you begin reconstruction, the people will see that you are giving them a better alternative than what Boko Haram would give them, if they continue to support the group. So, right away, the government should start reconstruction.

    “Secondly, at the highest level of command, they should set up a think-tank, to brainstorm on this issue to keep the terrorists on the run. We must be proactive, rather than just reacting to their strikes. This think-tank should be extra-organisation; it would not be part of the military as an organisation. This war is an unusual war, so we have to adopt unusual methods in dealing with it; we cannot handle it in the conventional way.”

    A lawyer and public affairs analyst, Martins Agoziem, believes the insurgency was politicised from the outset. He said had Nigerians faced the issue the way it tackled the Ebola virus, terrorism would have been drastically reduced. He believed that the prejudice against the Jonathan administration blinded the sensibilities of those who should have proffered solution to the problem. He said rather than face the terrorist, the issue was used as a landmine to discredit the former government.

    Agoziem added: “It is an irony that under Jonathan, the opposition party gloated over the fact that the then president was at a very tight spot because of the activities of the terrorists. In some more instances, some people tagged the war against terror as genocide against the North. I wish all Nigerians would see the war against terrorists like the war against Ebola. During the Ebola scare, everybody faced the problem with one spirit. There was no APC or PDP because Ebola didn’t know who was in party A or party B, and with the cooperation of all Nigerians, Ebola was defeated.

    “If one Boko Haram member was killed, they would accuse Jonathan of wanting to wipe out the North. Those who were opposed to Jonathan saw the case of insecurity as Jonathan’s Achilles heels and they took advantage of the situation and made a big issue out of it. If all Nigerians had seen the war against terrorists as a war that must be won just like the Ebola virus scare, I am sure that by now, insecurity would have gone down drastically. Ironically, those same people who always criticised Jonathan, but never proffered any solution on how the issue of terrorism could be tackled are now asking Nigerians to support Buhari against Boko Haram.”

    In the view of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Boko Haram has thrived because stakeholders, such as Muslim clerics, community leaders, elected officials, democratic institutions and the media, have not played their roles effectively towards curbing the menace. Shettima, who made the observation in a paper he delivered during a fellowship and award dinner organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja last week, said the fight against Boko Haram cannot succeed unless leading Islamic scholars with mass followers come out of their silence to preach against the ideology from an intellectual perspective.

    This, he said, would change the narrative to discourage young men from being recruited by the sect. In the paper titled, “Democracy and Security in Northeast, Nigeria — the Case Study of Borno” the governor said notable Islamic scholars have maintained silence because they are afraid of being killed like many of their colleagues who were left exposed without security details despite preaching loud against the ideology and marked as enemies by the sect.

    He said: “Changing the ideology of the Boko Haram will require intellectual roles by leading Islamic scholars with mass appeal. It is most disturbing to note that today in northern Nigeria, there is no single Islamic scholar that preaches against the Boko Haram ideology and the reason is because everyone is afraid. Leading scholars like Sheikh Jaafar Mahmud Adam and Sheikh Albani Zaria who vehemently preached against the ideology have been killed.

    “In Maiduguri, scholars, like Sheikh Ibrahim Gomari, Malam Bashir Gomari and over 30 scholars who were opposed to the Boko Haram ideology, have all been killed. Today, the only group in the North that can speak against the sect are holders of public offices who have security men surrounding them. It is hugely important for us to identify Islamic scholars with the intellectual depth and mass followership to change the Boko Haram narrative so that we can save young souls from listening to the sect.

    “We must support these scholars and provide them with maximum security for not only them but their families as much as public office holders are adequately protected. These scholars will be performing very important national security assignments that are as important as those of any public office holder, no matter how highly placed.”

    In the paper that was delivered on his behalf by his Deputy, Zannah Umar Mustapha, the governor blamed democratic institutions for failing to address the problem at the early stage. He also blamed leaders, including himself, for not rising up to the occasion. Shettima, whose paper went memory lane to discuss the evolution of the sect in Borno, also indicted journalists for unknowingly helping the insurgents.

     

  • Obama renews U.S. support for anti-Boko Haram battle

    Obama renews U.S. support for anti-Boko Haram battle

    •Buhari recalls U.S., EU backing for fair poll

    President Barack Obama has renewed United States (U.S.) support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.

    Obama spoke yesterday after hosting President Muhammadu Buhari at his Oval Office in Washington D.C., where he lauded his guest’s efforts at restoring “safety, security and peace” to Nigeria.

    The U.S. President’s meeting with Buhari came less than eight weeks after Buhari assumed duty, underscoring the importance the U.S. attaches to good relations with Nigeria.

    Obama had extended his invitation for a visit to Buhari almost immediately after he was declared the winner of the March 28 election.

    Speaking after his meeting with Obama, President Buhari said Nigeria would be “ever grateful” to the U.S. for its support of free and credible elections in Nigeria, adding that the U.S.’s and the European Union’s (EU’s) pressure to ensure that the general elections on March 28 and April 11 were “fair and credible, led us to where we are now.”

    Obama, who met with Buhari at the White House just days ahead of his trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, said Nigeria “is, obviously, one of the most important countries in the world.”

    Speaking to reporters at the outset of the meeting, Obama said the U.S. hoped to partner with Nigeria “so that Nigeria ends up being not only an anchor of prosperity and stability in the western part of the continent, but can also be an outstanding role model for developing countries around the world.”

    He said he would discuss with Buhari how the two nations can cooperate on counter-terrorism and how the U.S. “can be helpful in addressing some of the corruption issues that have held Nigeria back.”

    Obama said Buhari, as President, has “a very clear agenda” to both contain the spread of militants and keep the Nigerian economy growing.

    His words: “President Buhari comes into office with a reputation of integrity and a very clear agenda and that is to make sure that he is bringing safety, security and peace to this country.

    “He (Buhari) is very concerned about the spread of Boko Haram and the violence that has taken place there and the atrocities that have taken place there and he has a very clear agenda of defeating Boko Haram and extremists of all sorts inside his country.

    “And he has a very clear agenda with respect to rooting out the corruption that has too often held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country. On both these issues, we’re looking forward to hearing more about his plans and how the United States can partner with Nigeria.”

    In what looked as an answer to some critics who felt the American President should have extended his tour of Kenya and Ethiopia scheduled for later this week, a U.S. official said President Buhari’ s U.S. trip was a better option.

    The official, Grant Harris, a Senior Director for Africa for the National Security Council (NSC), said inviting President Buhari to the U.S. was a better option than a presidential trip to Nigeria, because it will allow the Nigerian president’s fledgling administration to meet with several top American officials.

    Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser (NSA) Susan Rice were at Obama’s meeting with Buhari yesterday.

    Besides, during his four-day visit, Buhari is scheduled to meet with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey, Attorney-General Loretta Lynch, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman among others.

    “This feels to us like Nigeria is at an important moment in which there can be real reforms across the board,” Harris, had told reporters last week.

    He added: “We’re looking forward to what we can do with a president who has staked out an agenda that we think is the right agenda at the right time.”

     

  • Anti-Boko Haram protest paralyses Ekwulobia

    Anti-Boko Haram protest paralyses Ekwulobia

    Activities in Ekwulobia, Aguata council of Abia State were paralysed yesterday as traders protested the alleged dumping of Boko Haram suspects in the Ekwulobia prisons.

    Placard-carrying protesters, including the clergy, high chiefs and women, as early as 7.30am, marched on Ekwulobia to register their grievances.

    Security operatives were deployed to maintain law and order.

    Chairman of Aguata council, Mr. Tony Umeoji, alleged that the transfer of the Boko Haram prisoners was politically motivated.

    He alleged that any attempt to interrupt the development of the Southeast would be suicidal.

    “I must tell you that this development will chase intending investors from Anambra State, thereby setting back the wheel of progress of the state.

    “It is a situation that calls for concern because of the apprehension and restiveness among the people of Ekwulobia.

    “The people are scared and there is a general sense of insecurity. The Ekwulobia prison has a minimum capacity and facility for such high profile inmates.

    “The prison is 80-bedded and there are already 133 inmates yet, you are adding another 43; that is too much and unhealthy”, he said.

    The lawmaker representing Aguata II in the House of Assembly, Ikem Uzoezie appealed to the authorities concerned and President Muhammadu Buhari to relocate the Boko Haram inmates to a prison with maximum capacity and facility.

    He said: “The development calls for concern because the relative peace we have been enjoying has been interrupted”.

    He said when the House reconvenes, it would deliberate on the matter.

    Last weekend, over 200,000 traders, led by the President of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, marched on the streets of Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi to protest the development.

     

  • Buhari: Nigeria should lead regional anti-Boko Haram force

    Buhari: Nigeria should lead regional anti-Boko Haram force

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday requested leaders of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic to allow Nigeria to command the troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which will fight Boko Haram

    He also promised to pay up the $100 million pledged by Nigeria to fund the Force.

    The President spoke during the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Commission and Benin at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    The meeting, which started around 10:50 a.m, was attended by Presidents Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger Republic); Idriss Deby Itno (Chad) and Yayi Boni (Benin Republic).

    Cameroonian President Paul Biya was represented by his Minister of Defence, Mr. Mebe Alain

    Buhari said: “Permit me, at this juncture, to recall that Nigeria has already pledged the sum of $100 million for the smooth take off of the MNJTF. I hereby reassure you that my government will keep faith with this promise.”

    Stressing the need to strengthen cross border patrol and intelligence sharing, he said efforts must be targeted at limiting the insurgents’ capacity to access funds and weapons.

    He disagreed with the six months duration for the change of the MNJTF command and control structure.

    He said: “While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency.

    “Such a process will undermine, even if not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and rejig their operational strategies.”.

    Buhari urged the leaders to allow Nigeria control the force throughout the period of the war against Boko Haram.

    He said: “I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for your excellencies consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort.

    “This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.”

    He added: “Our meeting today is premised on common resolve and commitment of member states of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin to maintain the momentum in degrading the capacity of the insurgents until they are completely defeated.

    “It is also going out with urgency to mitigate the suffering which has been imposed on our civilian population by the nefarious activities of the insurgents and the terrorists.

    “Our meeting today provides us an excellent opportunity to finalise the instruments of the operations of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in order to give life to our joint military campaign to decisively defeat the insurgents.

    “You will recall in my inaugural address on 29th May 2015, I affirmed that I will consult regularly with heads of government of our immediate neighborhood and I have within four days of my assumption of duty as president embarked on  thank you visits to the Presidents of Niger and Chad. This important assignment was however interrupted because I had to honor the invitation extended to me by the G-7 member states to attend their meeting in Germany.”

    He intends to continue his thank you visits to the remaining Lake Chad Basin Commission member states shortly.

    Britain has announced steps to support Nigerian forces in the Boko Haram battle.

    Prime Minister David Cameroon told the House of Commons that the support “is part of our global commitment to developing security and stability”.

    He spoke of “plans to deploy more Short Term Training Teams to the region alongside an increase to the permanent number of military personnel based there.

    “They will provide further support to Nigeria in improving security and combating Boko Haram, contribute staff to the Multi National Joint Taskforce Headquarters in Chad and advise on campaign planning and operational leadership.”

    Britain also plans deployment of up to 125 military personnel to provide further training to Iraqi security forces. The move, predominantly aimed at countering the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), will build on the work already undertaken in training 1,000 members of Iraqi forces.

    Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon said: “This increase in support for Nigeria will help a valued partner to improve security and combat Boko Haram.

    “Alongside recent decisions to deploy additional troops to Iraq and to commit an additional 500 to NATO’s Very High Readiness Task Force in Europe, this underlines our global commitment to building security.”

  • APC accuses Jonathan of sabotaging anti-Boko Haram war

    APC accuses Jonathan of sabotaging anti-Boko Haram war

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of sabotaging his own Administration’s war against Boko Haram on the altar of personal vindictiveness and political desperation, an action that is unbecoming of a self-respecting national leader.

    In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said just because he was so desperate to oust House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, President Jonathan ensured that the House could not meet as scheduled to consider his request for an extension of the State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    ‘’For a President who has severally stated his Administration’s commitment to the battle against the insurgency in the Northeast, is it not a cruel irony that he allowed his personal ego and political desperation to override his sense of propriety, by moving to have Rt. Hon. Tambuwal removed instead of having the House of Representatives sit to consider his request?

    ‘’Does anyone need any more evidence that the President’s sole preoccupation is how to win the 2015 elections, rather than the fate of the hundreds of Nigerians who are daily being killed and maimed at the epicentre of the insurgency? Had he been genuinely committed to the fight against the insurgents, would the President not have allowed the House to sit to consider his request? How does he feel now that the entire National Assembly has been shut down because of his capricious action?’’.

    APC said because of his meddlesomeness in the affairs of another arm of government, and also his blatant disregard for a court order that the status quo be maintained on the defection of the Speaker to the APC, the President suffered yesterday a moral and political defeat that will hunt him for a long time to come.

    ‘’The plot was simple: The Presidency decided to use the reconvening of the House as an opportunity to remove the Speaker. While Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha was accorded a presidential ride into the premises of the National Assembly, House Speaker Tambuwal was barred from entry by the hordes of security agents who had been deployed solely for that purpose.

    ‘’Their plan was to ensure that with Tambuwal locked out, Ihedioha would preside over the reconvened House and the Speaker will then be removed. The consideration of the request to extend the State of Emergency was not important to the Presidency. The fate of the Nigerians who are suffering from the insurgency, which has displaced 1.5 million people, does not bother the Presidency. All it wanted is to remove Tambuwal.

    ‘’However, the plan failed as members of the House overpowered the security personnel   and the Speaker was led on foot into the Chambers, even as a rain of teargas fell on them. In the end, the President himself sabotaged his Administration’s tepid war on terror, and he got himself a birthday gift he didn’t bargain for: A humiliating political defeat that played out on national television. This is a clear reminder that there is always a limit to impunity!,’’ the party said.

    APC said because it was clear that history is not a forte of this presidency, it (the Presidency) needs to be reminded that the kind of crisis it is willfully instigating in the National Assembly helped to truncate the First Republic in the early 1960s.

    The party said the crisis instigated yesterday by the Jonathan Administration at the National Assembly showed the prescience of the ‘’APC’s Salvation Rally’’ in Abuja a day earlier to protest the runaway impunity, corruption, poor governance, anti-democratic tendencies and win-elections-at-all-costs disposition of the Administration.

    ‘’We have said it before and we will restate it: It’s Jonathan first, Jonathan second, Jonathan third, Jonathan always for this President. If not, why will he be more interested in playing politics with the lives and blood of our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who are suffering untold hardships in the hands of Boko Haram, especially in the Northeast?

    ‘’Because of his ambition to be re-elected at all costs, President Jonathan is ready to throw Nigeria into crisis. He is ready to bring Nigeria down. He has presided over an unprecedented assault on democratic institutions. He has presided over the desecration of national institutions, especially the police.

    ‘’Is it right for the police to be trampling on the constitution? Is it right for the Inspector-General of Police, apparently acting under orders from the President, to deploy the police to prevent the Speaker from entering the House? Why on earth would you not allow the Speaker of the House, who is still seen as such by the law, to enter the House? What would have happened if the Speaker had refused to reconvene the House? Wouldn’t Nigerians have said he is putting his personal interest above national interest?’’ it queried.

    APC said surely, Nigeria is in clear and present danger from the inordinate ambition of President Jonathan to run for a second term, and called on all men and women of goodwill to speak out before a desperate President brings the country down on all Nigerians.